5 Things for Bayern Munich Fans to Look Forward to in 2016-17 Season

As the European Championship knockout stage wears on, time is ticking down ahead of the 2016-17 club season.

Bayern Munich have made some big moves in the transfer market, with Mats Hummels and Renato Sanches joining from Borussia Dortmund and Benfica, respectively. And with new trainer Carlo Ancelotti having replaced Pep Guardiola at the helm, there will be a new era at the Bundesliga's most successful club.

The future looks bright for Bayern, and not only due to their transfer dealings. B/R has assessed the situation at the Allianz Arena and picked out the top reasons why fans should look forward to the upcoming campaign.

Click "Begin Slideshow" for our picks.

Carlo Ancelotti's Pragmatism

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Bayern made a big change of course when they brought in Carlo Ancelotti to succeed Pep Guardiola as head coach.

The Spaniard is known as a visionary with utmost dedication to certain views on football and how it should be played. And the Bavarians stuck with him for three years as he adapted and evolved, always searching for the right formula.

Ancelotti is much more the type of coach to take a team as it is and figure out a system to suit it, not the other way around. Heading into next season, Bayern will have an excellent starting XI and a world-class bench, with a coach who will adapt his tactics to best counter the opposition.

It's pragmatism, and it has worked out well for the Italian in the past, as he's won the Champions League three times as a coach: Twice with AC Milan and once with Real Madrid.

Renato Sanches

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Renato Sanches alone will be an exciting player to watch as he develops. Despite being just 18 years old, the Portuguese midfielder looks to have the world on a string.

He already is incredibly mature for his age, in terms of his physicality, technical play and mentality. He'll have a brilliant coach to teach him how to play tactically, and excellent role models particularly in Arturo Vidal and Xabi Alonso.

Kingsley Coman managed to make big strides at Bayern last season, and perhaps Sanches will as well, especially with the confidence of an excellent Euro 2016 behind him.

His rise to prominence with Benfica last season was a sharp one, and on his current trajectory, he could well become a superstar in the coming months.

The World's Best Back Three

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Reviewing all the great teams in world football today, it's hard to find any goalkeeper and center-back pair that can compare with Manuel Neuer, Jerome Boateng and Mats Hummels.

For around half a decade, the former has been regarded by many as the best goalkeeper in the world. In the last year or so, Boateng has emerged as the best center-back in the eyes of many. And although some have doubted his consistency in the past, Hummels is a rock-solid third member of Bayern's defensive core.

Only Juventus and Italy's combination of Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci can truly compare, and they are actually a back four. Moreover, age is a bit more of a concern for their quartet as Buffon is 38 and Barzagli is 35 years old.

Neuer, Boateng and Hummels are all in their prime, from 27-30 years old. And we've already seen just how brilliant they can be during the 2016 UEFA European Championship. As they continue to develop their partnership, they could become the face of the new Bayern team as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery were for many years.

The New Guard Replacing the Old

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Sanches is not the only young Bayern player to be excited about ahead of next season: Coman and Joshua Kimmich are among the others to keep an eye on as a changing of the guard begins to take place.

There are some older players in the Bayern team, notably Alonso (34), Ribery (33), Robben and Philipp Lahm (both 32). They will likely need to share their minutes at least, and it's possible that they may even be overtaken in the starting lineup by season's end. Even at this point, it's hard to see how both Robben and Ribery will start in a fully healthy squad.

Sanches will challenge Alonso and Arturo Vidal for minutes in midfield, while Kimmich could also contend for a spot in the midfield as well as in Lahm's right-back position. And Coman will compete for playing time on the wing, with Ribery and Robben fighting for their starting roles.

Bayern have been planning for their long-term future for some time; sooner or later, it will be time for the new guard to replace the old.

The Future of Football, with Bayern Leading the Way

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Bayern are one of football's most exciting teams right now, as they seem to be leading the way into the future.

When they won the treble in 2013, they had a team that possessed a combination of brilliant athleticism and exceptional ball skills.

Guardiola shied away from the athletic aspect early in his tenure, with the team playing slower football and less-physical players being a part of his lineups. But in his final season, the arrival of players like Vidal, Coman and Douglas Costa—as well as his own tactical changes—saw Bayern play much more similarly to the treble-winners.

Looking forward, Bayern are going to have an even more athletically gifted team in 2016-17 due to the arrival of Sanches and continued development of their younger stars. This will be combined with years of work in Guardiola's technically intensive training program. The most likely result is that it will be very difficult for any team to match the Bundesliga champions in any capacity.